Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill frustrated with more poor officiating

Town had not lost since New Year’s Day in League One until they travelled to Lancashire on Saturday, but a narrow 1-0 defeat in a game they created enough to get something out of ended the run.

But Salop were on the end of controversial officiating again when Accrington’s Tommy Leigh clearly elbowed Christian Saydee off the ball when the game was in its infancy.

The Accrington player is likely to face retrospective action, but Town would have benefitted hugely from playing against 10 men almost the whole 90 minutes.

Cotterill was immensely frustrated with the officiating – which has not gone Shrewsbury’s way at any stage this season.

He said: “The referee is talkie-talkie and friendly before the game and then he turns out a performance like that.

“I thought it was a real,real poor performance from him, but then should we be surprised at Shrewsbury at poor refereeing performances, should we be surprised?

“Because we always get them, that was the idea of writing a letter the other week, as we always get them, and we had one today, and he walks away scot-free the result does not matter to him. I have seen something that could be a retrospective red card for one of their lads (for a foul) on Christian Saydee.

“And something else went on in the net right at the death.

“The time they took over everything – how does he (the referee) only add six minutes on?

“The fourth official talking to the referee is a waste of time.

“The fourth official told him to add seven minutes so he then adds six. How can you go down (in added-on minutes) in a game like that?

“It’s very difficult to get tempo into the game then, it’s very difficult.”

Meanwhile, the Town boss said he hopes to know more at the beginning of next week in relation to the injury of Taylor Moore.

The defender went off in Town’s goalless draw at Exeter in midweek, and the injury prevented him from travelling to Lancashire on Saturday afternoon with the rest of the Town squad.

“Yes, that groin was not good enough for him to be there on Saturday,” Cotterill said about Moore.

“I don’t know, but I will no a bit more at the beginning of next week, and by the time I speak to you next we will know a bit more.”

Moore, on a season long loan from Bristol City, has been impressive in Salop’s recent run saw them go more than six weeks without losing a League One clash.

The injury initially looked serious for the versatile player, so Salop will be hoping the damage is not to bad ahead of next weekend.